Fees for License Plates in Pennsylvania

The fees below DO NOT include taxes, title fees, or service fees that you may need to pay.

Standard license plate with registration, new and renewal:

Passenger vehicle: $36.

Motorcycle: $18.

Replacements:

License plate: $11 UNLESS the plate was:

Lost in the mail: Replacement plate is free.

Determined illegible by law enforcement: Replacement plate is free.

Sticker: $6.

Transfer fee: $2.

Personalized & Specialty Plates

Personalized Plates

Personalized plates, also known as vanity plates, can carry a maximum of 7 characters made up of letters and numbers with the option of either 1 space or 1 hyphen. If you're a motorcyclist, your creativity, for obvious space reasons, is restricted to 5 characters.

To apply you must:

Own a valid plate with a valid registration sticker, which you must surrender once your vanity plates arrive.

You can expect your vanity plates to arrive in the mail in about 10 weeks.

Bear in mind that freedom of expression has its limitations when it comes to license plates. PennDOT will reject any plate request it deems offensive, so use sound judgment when applying.

Organizational Plates

Currently PennDOT offers over 100 Special Organizational plates with a heavy lean on colleges. All are made with the state's standard license plate colors―blue, yellow, and white―and include your organization's emblem on the left side with its name on the bottom.

These plates are available for all vehicles except motorcycles or trailers. If you're interested, contact your organization's main office for an application.

Amateur Radio Operator

PennDOT will issue you a plate that displays your FCC-assigned call letters.

Include a check made out to "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." A portion of this fee will go directly to your designated fund.

Due to space limitations, motorcycles are not eligible for these plates.

Antique Plates

PennDOT offers three types of special plates for older vehicles:

Antique plates are for vehicles more than 25 years old that are in a condition similar to the original specifications, either through maintenance or restoration. Replicas are not permitted.

Classic plates are for vehicles at least 15 years old that are in a condition similar to the original specifications, either through maintenance or restoration. Replicas are not permitted.

Collectible plates are for reconstructed vehicles that have undergone significant alterations to the original specifications, but have still been maintained in a collectible condition.

To qualify for any of these plates, the vehicle must be primarily used for antique exhibitions, parades, and related activities. The vehicle may be driven one day a week for routine transportation use.

The plates cost $75, and there's also a $51 certificate of title fee. These are one-time fees, as the plates are permanent and remain valid for the life of the vehicle, provided there's no change in ownership.